Many have said it and will continue to say, "It's not clean until it smells clean!" Conventional cleaning products that are all too familiar are petroleum-based and leave toxins floating in the air. Scrubbing your home--dishes, laundry, floors, windows--from top to bottom with chemical-riddled cleaners often makes germs and grime worse! There is a not-so-smelly solution.

The one thing about green cleaning is that it leaves no odor. That, friends, is the best thing you can leave in your home. The odorlessness of green cleaning (that is, using organic products to clean your home, less water, less energy, and so on) means that there are no chemicals from cleaning agents floating around your harm, which can ultimately harm you, your family, and even your pets. Follow these easy how-to's to make your home a little greener cleaner.

1) Mix it Homestyle: Before Clorox, Lysol, and Mr. Clean entered the picture, what on earth did people do? Gasp! It's simple...they mixed their cleaners themselves. Given there were more sicknesses that were related to germs at the turn of the century, there were also many from "new" cleaners that were actually chemicals with a new label. Nothing much has changed since then (besides the fact that most products that could kill are off the market...yet see everything under your sink that's labeled: Keep Away From Children), but there is some good in what used to be used.

Home-mixed tips:

Vinegar: Windows will have a sparkle you never thought possible by using 1 part vinegar/3 parts water mixture. Just put in a spray bottle and wipe away with yesterdays newspaper.

Baking Soda: Floors, countertops, bathrooms, stoves, and any other surface that needs a good scrubbing can be cleaned with 1 part baking soda/3 parts water and your choice cloth for scrubbing. If you have mold or tough dirt stains anywhere in your home, usually a direct hit of baking soda will do the trick. Just leave it for a bit of time and voila! Clean as a whistle.

Liquid Soap (for hands and dishes): Believe it or not, even your Dial leaves chemicals on your "clean" dishes. You can use soap flakes (2 cups), water (1/2 gallons), and glycerin (1 tbsp) and heat on the stove to make your own, safe mixture. Add a 1/2 a cup of lemon juice or vinegar to cut the grease on dishes! Or add a few drops of essential oil for scent.

And nothing dusts better than old cotton socks or shirts.

 

The great thing about all of these home-style tips are that they are eco-friendly, easy on your wallet, and safe for your family. No more cupboards with child safety locks...if your little one gets into them, they might get a tummy ache, but you won't have to call poison control.

*Antibacterial soaps have been found to cause more harm ("Super Germs") than good by the FDA. Use soap and water to wash your hands.

2) Buy Green Clean: The second best thing you can do is buy products for your home that are organic and do not have harsh chemicals in them. More and more are becoming available, but beware of products that claim to be green yet still have specific chemical no-no's. Look for products with no petroleum, phosphates, or parabenes in them. And remember, glass will always be better than plastic. Especially if you can personally refill it. Seventh Generation (at markets), Simple Green (at markets), and Shaklee (see Cleaning section) are just some of the companies that provide green cleaning products in Orange County.

Taking measures to use your water to its fullest is also important. Whether or not you use filters is a personal taste. There are no toxins in Orange County water that will harm you or your family like there are in many developing countries. Yet water is a limited resource. See the "How to Green Your Water" for more information.

4) Smells So Green: So you love the smelliness of the cleaners, candles, and air freshners and you're sad they're not green? Of course you can buy them organic at your local market (see Market section), but you can also create your own! Boiling oranges, lemons, cloves, cinnoman, rosemary, vanilla, or even rose petals will leave a beautiful aroma throughout the house. Baking always leaves a fun scent and baking soda in stinky places will soak the oders right up. Lastly, bringing the outdoors in with plants and flowers not only adds pretty aroma's, it also naturally filters indoor air.

5) Outsource your Cleaning: If you're like most, you don't have time to do the cleaning yourself. That's understandable. Green cleaning is becoming more available and affordable each year. If you hire a cleaning service for your home that is green certified, they will use products that are eco-friendly and safe you and your family. Read their website to find out what green means to them. Some companies just use green products, while others even offer specialties like vapor steaming. (See Cleaning section) And if you're outsourcing your dry cleaning, be sure to take it to a green certified dry cleaner. Dry cleaning uses a chemical known as Perchloroetheylene (Perc), which adds to the red sunset and is toxic to you and your family. Companies like GreenEarth use liquid silicone that is safe for everyone and the environment (See Dry Cleaning section).

6) The Extra Mile: Have a shoe-less house policy and install a non-carpet flooring (like wood or linoleum) to save on the energy bill and replace paper towels and napkins with reusable counterparts. Going green will save you time, money, and give you peace of mind. What could be better? Go green clean and share it with everyone you know...your friends, family, and even your co-workers and employer!